Anticancer 7-Day fitness Kickstart
Day 4: Flexibility
Welcome to Day 4 of the Anticancer Lifestyle Program’s 7-Day Fitness Kickstart! Today, we’re exploring the importance of flexibility in your fitness routine. Get ready to stretch, improve your posture, and enhance your body’s overall function!
The Importance of Flexibility
The importance of flexibility is often overlooked when we think about getting fit and improving our activity level. But as you can see from the Anticancer Lifestyle Fitness Pyramid, flexibility is right up there with strength training.
Improved flexibility is vital for increased balance, which helps prevent falls. It can also create more supple tendons and muscle fibers, known to help prevent pulls and tears, and improve joint health and circulation to relieve aches and pains. Flexibility also helps promote good posture and relaxation. Think of how great you feel when you take a good stretch!
REFLECT
How often do you take time to stretch? When was the last time you stretched your legs, checked your posture, relaxed your shoulders?
Do you stretch most of your muscles or just certain ones? How do you feel after stretching?
REVIEW AND TRY
Watch this one minute video, and try these four stretches.
Review and try these seven basic stretches from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). You will see stretches for some of the same muscles that you just saw in the video, but performed a little differently. Find the ways that work best for you.
IDENTIFY AND COMMIT
Identify two stretching exercises that you can incorporate into your daily routine. Focus your two stretching exercises on areas of the body that feel overly restricted or tight.
Commit to performing these two exercises for two weeks. Be specific about when you will do them. As a rule of thumb, it’s advisable to stretch for 20 seconds and repeat each stretch 3 times.
By enhancing your flexibility and balance, you’re investing in your body’s long-term health and functionality.
Note: If you missed Day 3: Strength Training, you can complete it here.
Tomorrow we will look at the types and importance of neuromotor exercises.
Bonus
Fit After Fifty eBook
Read our Fit After Fifty eBook, which discusses the importance of physical activity as we age, and how to incorporate more movement into daily life.